Game with ball-operated gates



P. J. RAGUSIN 2,651,520

GAME WITH BALL-OPERATED GATES Sept. 8 1953 Filed Jan. 18, 1951 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Pete? d fgzyasi/p BY Q Jail! Idllljj} Sept. 8, 1953 P. J. RAGUSIN GAME WITH BALL-OPERATED GATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1951 R m w W. m, N Q Q Q QQ M l| 7. Al Q Q fi Fl .Q 8% w 6% a Q Patented Sept. 8, 1953 TED STATES PATENT OFFICEFT Peter J. Rag usin, Tinley Park, n1.

Application January 18, 1951, Serial No. 206,635

1 This invention relates to games, and has for one of its main objects the provision of asimple and improved game which will aiford considerable amusement for the player.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game which requires introduction of movable objects into a game-board in certain order to achieve the desired results.

Another object of the invention is .to provide a game comprising, inv combination, a plurality of movable objects, a game-board having a first inlet for receiving at leastone of the objects and an outlet for discharging said object, a runway for delivering the object received by the first inlet to the outlet, a plurality of gates disposed at spaced locations along the runway for successive engagement by the object received by the firstinlet, additional inlets for receiving the other objects, and means actuated by theintroduction of the other objects into the additional inlets for actuating the gates to advance the object received by the first inletto a succeeding gate when said object is in engagement with the gate. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a game of the class described wherein there are pivots on which the gates are carried for swinging movement and wherein the means for actuating the first-mentioned gates comprises additional gates carried by the pivots for turning I the pivots and the first gates by the other objects received by the, additional inlets.-

Another object of the invention is to provide a game of simple and inexpensive construction which is composed of few, parts and adapted for convenient assembly, and to operate effectively for the desired purpose.

Further features and advantages .of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and'the accompanying draw- In the drawing: I

Figure l is a perspective view of one form of game embodyin the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinalsectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure2; and

Figure 5 shows the five movable objects ,or ball members for the particular game selected for illustration.

Referring now to the drawing, the game selected for illustration comprises a game-board I 6 Claims. (01. 273 11s) of box-like form having a top wall 2, a bottom wall 3, front wall 4, rear wall 5, and end walls 6 and 1. v

The hollow interior of the game-board I is divided longitudinally by an upright wall or partition 8 disposed upright between the top and bottom walls 2 and 3 and extending longitudinally between the end walls '6 and I.

The walls of the game-board I may be formed of wood, fiber board, plastic material, cardboard, heavy paper-like material, or any other suitable or preferred material. The bottom wall 3 is preferably hinged at 9 to the rear wall 5 for a purpose which will presently appear. A catch III, or other suitable means, may be provided for releasably securing the bottom wall in closed position, or this may be accomplished in any other suitable or preferred manner.

The bottom wall 3, between the front wall I and the partition 8, constitutes a runway 'II which, in use, is preferably disposed to decline downwardly slightly from the end wall 6 to the end wall I. Th top wall 2 has a first inlet opening I2 for receiving at least one of a plurality of movable objects I3. Figure 5 shows five movable objects I3 for the particular embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, each in the form of a ball member of rubber or any other suitable material.

The end wall I has an outlet opening I4 opening from the end of the runway I I for discharg-' ing from the game-board the object received by the first inlet'l2. The inlet I2 is surmounted by an upright tube I5 through which one of the ball members I3 may be conveniently introduced to pass through the inlet I2. The outlet I4 has an outlet tube I6.

A plurality of'gates I! are'disposed at spaced locations along the path of the runway II for successive engagement with the object I3 introduced through the first inlet I2. The gates H are carried for swinging movement by pivot pins I8 which extend transversely through the spaces on opposite sides of the partition 8, and are mounted for turning movement, for example, in the front and rear walls '4 and 5 and in the partition 8. The gates II are of generally bell-crank form, and each has an arm lla. normally. disposed in generally horizontal position, and another arm I'Ib normally disposed in generally vertical position as shown in Figure-3.-

The game-board has a plurality of additional inlet openings I9, one for receiving each of the four ball members I3 other than the one which is introduced through the first inlet I2. The inlet rear wall 5. Transverse partitions 29 are positioned across the space between the partition 8 and the rear wall and to the left of each inlet I9 as the device is shown in Figure 2. Each additional inlet I9 is surmounted by an upright tube ZI through which one of the ball members I3 may be conveniently introduced to drop through the adjacent inlet I 9.

An additional or second gate 22 is carried by each pivot pin H3 in position between the partition 8 and the rear wall. The additional or second gates 22 areof generally bellcrank form, and each has an arm 2 2a normally disposed in generally horizontal position beneath the adjacent inlet I9 and another arm-22b normally disposed in generally vertical position as shown in Figure 2. The lower ends of the arms 7 22b are weighted at 23 normally to retain the gates 22 in the positions shown in Figure 2, and the gates I! in the positions shown in Figure 3, and to return the respective gates to these'positions. Spring means or other suitable means may be employed to retain the gates in their normal position and to return them to such positions in lieu of the weights 23 if desired.

To operate the game, one of the ball members I3 is dropped intothe tube I5 and drops through the inlet I2 and onto the runway II and rolls downwardly to the right (Figure 3) into engagement with the depending arm no of the first gate I'I. Therefiort exerted by ball I3 on gate I7 is not suificient to rotate the gate about pivot Ill in opposition to the weight 23 on gate 22. The object of the game is therefore, to successively raise the gates I1 and to'pass this ball along the runway II and to dischargethe same through the outlet tube I6 by the introduction of the other four balls- I3- into the tubesZI.

Now in order to accomplish this result, it is necessaryto introduce the first of the other four balls I3 into the tube 2| at the left as the device is shown in Figures 1 and 2; thereafter the next of the remaining three-balls I3 into the next tube 2I tothe right; thereafterthe next of the remaining two balls I3 into the next tube 21 to the right; and thereafter the last ball I 3 intothe tube 2I at the right hand end of the device.

As the first of the four other balls I3 is 'introduced' through the inlet at the left, it drops onto the arm 22a of the gate 22 at the left The combined effort of the'ball I3 on arm 22a'of gate 22 and of ball I3 on arm IIb of gate I'T'swings both gates about common pivot I8 in'a counterclockwise direction. This swinging 'of the gate I! on the first pivot I 8 counterclockwise advances the ball I3 from the first gate II to the second gate. Introduction of the remaining three balls I3 into the respective tubes 2| successively swings the other gates I! in like manner successively to advance the first ball which is introduced through the inlet I2 to these gates I I, and finally out through the outlet I and, discharge tube I6.

The number of gates and inlets, and the construction and combination of the various parts of the device may vary widely within the scope of the present invention.

Ball members I3, introduced into the gameboard of the device through the various inlet openings, may be removed by the simple expedient of unlatching the bottom wall 3 and swinging it downwardly to open position about the hinge 9.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be expressly understood that said drawing and the accompanying specification are not to be construed as a definition of the limits or scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

I claim: p I

1. In a game, in combination, a plurality of movable objects, a game-board having a first inlet for receiving at least one of said objects and an central longitudinal partition defining a runway on one side of said partition for delivering the object received by said first inlet to said outlet, a plurality of transverse longitudinally spaced apart partitions on the other side of said longitudinal partition defining a plurality of compartments, a. plurality of first gates disposed at spaced locations along said runway for successive engagement by the object received by said first inlet, pivots on which said first gates are carried for swinging movement, the effort exerted by the object received by said first inlet on said first gates being insuificientto turn said first gates to clear said object, said game board having a plurality of additional inlets one each opening into each of said plurality of compartments for receiving the other objects, and additional gates one each positioned in said plurality of compartments and carried by the same pivots of said first gates for turning said pivots and said first gates by the combined effort of the object received by said first inlet on said first gates and of the objects received by said additional inlets on said additional gates to advance the object received by said first inlet to a succeeding gate when said object is in engagement with the actuated gate. 2. A game according to claim 1 wherein there is means operable to remove the other objects received by said additional inlets from the gameboard. 3. A game according to claim 1 wherein there is a hinged bottom for said box-like structure for removing the other objects received by the additional inlets from the game board.

4. A game according to claim 1 wherein the additional gates are of generally bell-crank form. 5. A game according to claim 1 wherein the first inlet and the additional inlets have upstanding tubes surrounding said inlets and fixed to and projecting upwardly from said box-like structure.

6. A game according to claim 1 wherein the bottom of the runway is declined downwardly from the first inlet to the outlet.

PETER J. RAG-USIN.

References Cited in the file; of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,972,381 Gensburg Sept. 4, 1834 1,977,894 Robin Oct. 23, 1934 2,098,648 Mills Nov. 9, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 426,710 Great Britain Apr. 4, 1935 

